Can Aspirin Help Prevent Cancer?

Can Aspirin Help Prevent Cancer? (1:23)

Here's a great weapon in the fight against cancer: aspirin. In this Health Smarts video, Robin Miller, MD, reveals how aspirin may help reduce your risk of cancer by 40%, and if you already have cancer, may slow metastasis.

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Hi, Dr. Miller here. I've got some interesting news about preventing cancer. Have you or someone you love recently won a battle with cancer? That's great. Well here's some important news for you and the almost 12 million other Americans living after a cancer diagnosis. Taking Aspirin everyday may not only help prevent various forms of cancer, it also slows the potential spread of cancer to other parts of the body, a process called metastasis.

Two major research studies found that low dose Aspirin reduces the incidence of colon cancer and gastrointestinal cancer at almost 40%. It also reduces the risk of all cancers spreading by 35 - 40%. This promising news comes after researchers took at a closer look at more than 100, 000 people in a whole roster of study.

And it adds to the already good heart and brain health news. It has new recommending that most people take 160 milligrams for the Aspirin everyday. Remember to always take Aspirin with half glass of warm water before and after. This helps protect against Aspirin's possible side effect including stomach bleeding, but always double check with your doctor before taking a daily Aspirin.